The Paul Hibbert Clyde and Mary (Kestler) Clyde Papers span the years 1924-2001 and chiefly consist of newspaper clippings, drafts of memoranda, and translations of foreign news reports, given to Paul Clyde by Hugh L. Keenleyside, who was first secretary of the Canadian Legation in Tokyo (1929-1936). Multiple additions of personal papers assembled by the Paul and Mary Clyde complete the collection.

The East Asian Clippings Files, the largest series in the collection, contain clippings assembled by the Clydes during the 1920s and 1930s from about thirty English language newspapers and news services in Canada, China, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States. Centering on Sino-Japanese relations, they concern contemporary political, social, economic, military, and international affairs in China, Japan, and Manchuria (Manchukuo), primarily from the perspective of Japan's role in these events. Files are arranged alphabetically by topic.

Materials in the Personal Papers Series, additions acquired from 1986 to 1999, consist chiefly of personal and professional correspondence, church records, manuscripts and a thesis, curriculum vitae of Paul Hibbert Clyde and his wife Mary Kestler Clyde, reprints of published articles, book revisions, other printed materials, additional news clippings, and photographs. The additions are partially processed or unprocessed. Much of the professional correspondence concerns Clyde’s work with the Duke Endowment, first as secretary to the Committee on Educational Institutions, and later as educational consultant to the Trustees of the Endowment. Correspondents include Mary and James H. Semans, and administrators at Davidson College, Furman University, and the University of Florida. There is also a folder of War Department Military Intelligence Division correspondence, 1942-1943. Also included is an album of photographs, clippings, invitations, and addresses compiled for the celebration of the Duke Endowment’s fortieth anniversary. Among the photographs is one of Mr. Thomas Perkins, a former chairman of the board of trustees of The Duke Endowment. Some of the personal correspondence relates to the death of Mrs. Clyde. The church records from the Independent Unitarian Church in Belleair Bluffs, Florida, include minutes and an address by Clyde on the major religions of China. A transcript of Dr. Clyde’s oral history tape regarding his tenure with Duke University, as well as his tenure as director of the Educational Division of the Duke Endowment is included. There is also a description by Mrs. Clyde relating to the launching and operating of the administrative areas of the Woman’s College (Duke University) in which she worked; information about her service as president of the Woman’s College Alumnae Association, 1966-1967; and the initiation that year of the idea of a Continuing Education Program at Duke.

Unprocessed additions are listed at the end of the collection's Detailed Description.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Some material is unprocessed and may need further processing before use.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Use Restrictions

The copyright interests in these papers have not been transferred to Duke University. For further information, see the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Unprocessed additions include materials that have arrived post-processing, and have not yet been integrated into the rest of the collection. These items are open for research but have limited description available.

1987 Feb. 24 Addition, 1984-1987

Folders contain correspondence from 1984-1987, Mary Kestler's master's thesis, and a draft for an article on Howell's personal and literary association with Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain).

(2 folders)

Box 12, Acc. 1986

1987 Oct. 22 Addition, 1986-1987

Contains correspondence for the years 1986-1987 and clippings.

(1 folder)

Box 1, Add. 1981-1989

1988 July 26 Addition, 1987-1988

Contains correspondence for the years 1987-1988 and papers concerning a tribute to Dr. Mattie Russell.

(1 folder)

Box 1, Add. 1981-1989

1989 June 17 Addition, 1988-1989

Contains correspondence for the years 1988-1989 and photographic material.

Accessions 90-013, 91-033, 91-113, 91-151, 92-038, 92-089, and 93-183. Contains personal files and correspondence, as well as newspaper clippings from Japan and the United States in English which relate to Manchukuo, Mongolia and Siam Revolt.

Historian Paul Hibbert Clyde was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1896. After receiving his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1925, he taught history at Ohio State University (1925-1931), Stanford University (1928-1929), the University of Kentucky (1931-1937), and Duke University (1937-1961). A specialist in Far Eastern history, he wrote many articles and books on the subject, including a book-length work originally titled The Far East: A History of the Impact of the West on Eastern Asia, published in 1949 and revised in later years. He also served as a guest lecturer or consultant throughout his career. He also served with The Duke Endowment (1961-1970) as educational consultant.